- Says lawyers indicted in misleading judges to face sanction
Alex Enumah in Abuja
As the judiciary is set to commence the 2016/2017 legal year, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (FHC), Hon. Justice Ibrahim Auta, has advised judges of the Federal High Court to always adjudicate on matters before them with the fear of God and their conscience, noting that their job is one that requires high trust and confidence.
The advice came on the heels of conflicting judgments from courts of coordinate jurisdiction, which to some extent, Auta said, marred the successes recorded by the judiciary in the last legal year.
The Chief Judge of the FHC was speaking at a special court session to mark the commencement of the Federal High Court Legal Year 2016/2017 which held at the court’s headquarters in Abuja, monday.
Auta said: “The work of a judge, the world over is not easy. It is even more difficult in our society where cases are prosecuted on the pages of newspapers. However, the work of a judge is the highest position of trust and confidence that God can give to any human being. Trust that you sit to judge your fellow human beings and their activities.
“I therefore urge my brother judges to search their conscience before taking any judicial decision. You do not have to know all the law but your decision must be one that even the party who lost will have cause to appreciate your intellect, scholarship and call to duty. You must therefore take decisions that you can defend before God,” he said.
He blamed the controversies the court was enmeshed in on the activities of some lawyers, who according to him, misled judges by filing cases which were already pending in another court of coordinate jurisdiction.
According to him, while a case is pending in one court, a lawyer would rush to another court of coordinate jurisdiction and file the same case without the knowledge of the judges.
“We will take this very seriously and even discuss it during our conference because it is an offence and it is not good for the administration of criminal justice.”
He disclosed that as part of efforts to see that judges performed at optimal capacity, all the new judges have undergone detailed medical assessment as well as relevant training.
“I will continue to improve on the overall welfare of the judges and the staff depending on availability of funds. It is therefore my hope that both judges and staff will continue to reciprocate by putting in their very best,” he said.
Earlier, a devotional Christian and Muslim worships were held to mark the event.
At the National Mosque, Abuja, Chief Imam, Sheik Ahmed Onilewura, admonished worshippers to stand against corruption. In a paper titled, the Role of Religious preachers in the fight against corruption, he said corruption is sin against God and humanity as such religious leaders should preach against it from their pulpits.
While noting that one of the root causes of corruption is poverty, the Chief Imam called on leaders to come up with empowerment programmes, particularly for unemployed youths and vulnerable persons.
Commending the judges for their performances in the out-gone legal year, Auta said: “The report I received from the litigation department showed that out of the 16,680 cases filed within the period, September 2015 – June 2016, 13, 864 cases have already being disposed of by the judges. This performance is indeed laudable and outstanding. I am hopeful that if we continue in this manner the issue of bloated case lists will be a thing of the past.”
